The survey of 15 of the UK’s biggest hospitality employers with a combined workforce of 103,500 conducted by hospitality charity Springboard also reveals the skills gap in hospitality, with 80% of those surveyed reporting a lack of skilled talent, specifically among young people.
Almost nine in ten (87%) said they were finding it difficult to recruit for kitchen and back of house roles, while one in three (33%) said there was a lack of supply for critical senior management positions.
As a result, 87% are currently having to invest more time and money into retraining to ensure their current employees are well-prepared, after several months of furlough, to return to work with confidence, Springboard’s Hospitality Employer survey has found.
“With the announcement that customers can return to indoor dining from 17 May, it’s important that hospitality leaders and business owners look beyond this moment. Our industry was facing a skills shortage pre-pandemic and COVID-19 has put even more strain on this problem,” says Springboard CEO Chris Gamm.
“Recent data from the Office for National Statistics proves just how critical this period is in terms of securing the industry’s long-term recovery post-Covid. To put it into context, the sector is the worst hit in terms of job losses with 355,000 fewer employees in the period between March 2020 and March 2021, accounting for 43% of the national total.”
To help businesses find skilled talent, Springboard has launched the Springboard 2022 initiative, which aims to have 10,000 young people ready to join the sector by December 2022.